The 30 Craziest Online Releases Of Summer 2013

While this summer is basically coming to close, we take a look back at all the online madness and sellouts that made the last three months so memorable! In looking at the traditional kickoff of summer as Memorial Day to the close as being Labor Day, we highlight the 30 craziest online releases in our eyes that either sold out super quick, and broke the hearts of many, or those special limited releases which only were available at one or two spots. We certainly hope you were successful in copping a lot of these releases and we’d love to hear your best story in the comments section below!

Memorial Day Air Jordan Retro Restock

Jordan Brand started off the summer right surprising sneakerheads with a little Memorial Day present…another shot at some of their most coveted releases of the past year. While a few styles restocked only in select stores, the all-around unprecedented restock saw two heavyweights come back online in the form of the Jordan III Retro ’88 white/cement and Jordan IV “Thunder” releases. JB should celebrate America like this more often!

Jordan I "Black Toe"

Even with all the restock madness, Jordan Brand still had something up their sleeves: a classic in the Jordan I Retro High OG “Black Toe”. Though not as limited as it’s “Royal” brethren, the “”Black Toe”” still eluded many…hey JB, we’re ready for another restock…anytime now.

Nike Kobe 8 "Venice Beach"

Inspired by the streetball courts of Venice Beach, the Kobe 8 line dropped this dope colorway to kick off the summer in style. If you thought that this release would fly under the radar, due to the craziness of the rest of Nike’s Memorial Day drops, you were wrong. Heads may have slept a little bit on these, but were definitely on the hunt any time a random size or two became available…whether in the States or across the pond.

Undefeated x Nike Dunk High SP “Bring Back 2003"

Nike once again teamed up with the folks at UNDFTD to give us yet another way to honor our troops for Memorial Day 2013. Nike Dunk heads were certainly happy with the “Bring Back 2003″ pack that included these olive toned ‘ballistic’ Dunk Highs. The name of the package (whose release also included a similarly-styled Hyperdunk) paid homage to a classic collab the two brands did back in 2003 only available to friends & family. Now, if they’d only bring some more back online, so we could have another chance at them because online at Undefeated was one of the very few places you could cop.

Sneakersnstuff x Reebok Question Mid

They called it “A Shoe About Nothing”, not as a Seinfeld – or even a Wale – reference, but because the designers simply loved the colors together and there was no specific theme as with their other Reebok releases for the year. We agree fellas. And, apparently, so did everyone else, ’cause these sold out fast.

Nike Kobe 8 "Mambacurial"

Fusing basketball performance with soccer inspiration, Nike was really on the nose with this hybrid. Taking design cues from the Mercurial Vapor IX (Cristiano Ronaldo’s signature boot), this combo surprised many and sold out much faster than anticipated. With the success of both the shoe, and the two signature athletes, you can bet that Nike will revisit this matchup in the future.

Foot Patrol x Le Coq Sportif "Macaron"

Just like the French confection it’s inspired by, this collab between London’s Foot Patrol and French footwear label Le Coq Sportif is “crisp on the outside and smooth on the inside”. Only available from two US retailers, Bodega and Burn Rubber, this was certainly a tricky one to get a hold of.

Nike Dunk Low Retro "Viotech"

Yeah, you read that right, Jordan isn’t the only one in the retro game. Bringing back this updated version of a Japan-exclusive from 2002, the Viotech Dunk had a built-in audience that snapped these up in a hurry…both Stateside and overseas.

Jordan XI Low White/Black-True Red

Though they didn’t have a catchy nickname, these XI Lows dropped just in time to stunt for summertime. Causing drama at the mall is typically a Christmas time move for JB, but heads definitely couldn’t resist this super-clean colorway and these were a quick sellout all over.

Saint Alfred x Asics Gel Lyte III

We’ve featured these beauties a few times in the past, but the use of quality materials combined with their elusiveness supports the flattery. Saint Alfred and Asics dropped a banger with these and for those who were after a pair, they know the struggle, and patience, it took to cop these online.

Jordan V "Black Grape"

Fresh off the return of the crowd-pleasing “Grape” Vs earlier this year, Jordan brand flipped it and gave us a black version as well. Everyone and their mom knew these would fly off shelves…and moms was right.

Nike Zoom Revis LE "Denim"

Extremely limited, at only a reported 224 pairs, Nike paid tribute to Revis Island’s alma mater (Pitt) with these denim-flavored joints. This was another surprise, as they were teased and released within a short period of time, in the lead up to the drop of the denim LeBron. Literally gone in what felt like seconds from Nike Store…

Nike SB Dunk Low Pro "Firecracker" Red

Slowly trickling out to stores and online in late June, the Nike SB Dunk Low Pro “Firecracker” pack was a sought-after release and the red iteration was especially coveted. Anytime these randomly popped up online, the red pair was definitely the one to go the quickest and we had quite a few requesting where to buy.

Supreme x COMME des GARCONS SHIRT x Vans Collection

Anytime Supreme drops a sneaker collab, all eyes are on them. But, when they team up a brand like Comme de Garcons SHIRT to hit up some classic Vans silhouettes in premium materials, it’s a done deal. Like most Supreme shoe collabs, these were gone (at least in popular sizes), before many could finish logging in and entering payment info.

KD VI Supreme "DC Preheat"

Of Nike’s big three signatures, the first out of the gate this year was the KD VI. And, along with the initial “Seat Pleasant” colorway, KD fans were on the hunt for this super-limited “DC Preheat” makeup. With hot colors and that awesome low cut, these were the perfect fire for the summer…but only if you git super lucky online at Nike Store.

Nike Air Max "Country Camo" Collection

Staggered Release. A phrase that strikes fear in the heart of the sneakerhead. If you had your eyes on one or more of these camo Air Maxes, you had to follow the bouncing ball. Not only were these primarily in-store and internationally released (though some did make it online), the staggered release dates for the various country packs allowed these to fall off some radars. They were available online from a select few, but some had them up at random times and you just had to be on it.

size? x Nike Air Max 180 "Urban Safari"

We should just rename summer 2013 “The Summer of size? Official”. Their “Urban Safari” pack, coupled with their extensive list of exclusives have really elevated this shop above most. The third installment of said “Urban Safari” pack showed their versatility, tackling the much-slept-on Air Max 180. They dropped in two colorways, and both sold out in a hurry. We have a feeling the predominantly white pair will make a few year-end best-of lists.

Hanon x Saucony Shadow Master "Midnight Runner"

UK retailer Hanon has been quite busy churning out dope collabs this year and the “Midnight Runner” Saucony Shadow Master trainers were no exception. The exception was though if you wanted a pair, you had to be super quick because we really only saw these available online, in the States that is, at a couple locations. Kudos to you if you were lucky to cop and can enjoy rocking something a lot of people don’t have.

Jordan IV "Toro Bravo"

This one was an easy win for Jordan Brand. In a year where nearly every colorway of the IV has been retro’d, we’ve also seen a few new colorways that have and will continue to turn heads. Hypebeast or not, this “Toro Bravo” take on the iconic IV will be a favorite for a long time to come.

Jordan I Retro High OG "Shadow"

July 13th was a double-dip day for many sneakerheads. On the same day JB dropped the Toro Bravo IV, they also brought back an OG colorway of the legendary I, the “Shadow Grey”. Jordan Brand: destroying savings accounts since 1984.

Jordan III "Doernbecher" Cole

Now that Nike is also getting in on the action of retro’ing old favorites, this Doernbecher III release was a love-it-or-hate-it drop. On the one hand, you get another shot at one of the more beloved releases in the history of the Doernbecher x Nike program. On the other though, those that coveted the exclusivity of the shoe were upset at the quick retro. Though original dropped just three years prior, in 2010, this re-issue (of course) sold out instantly.

LeBron X EXT Pack

Like everything in NBA this year, the colorway game belonged to the King. LeBron’s 10th signature model saw an unprecedented number of colorway drops, and the heat from this summer alone kills whole seasons of some brands. This summer, we were blessed with three flavors of “EXT” Xs in the “Denim” (6/22), “Hazelnut” (7/6) and black suede/mint (7/20) colorways all dropping in quickstrike fashion. Nike stays killing your wallet and these sold out with the quickness online no matter who had them.

Ronnie Fieg x Asics "Flamingo"

Speaking of selling out instantly, the Ronnie Fieg “Flamingo” may have been the quickest-selling shoe on this whole list. As with most RF releases, the only place to cop these beauties was from Kith, either in-store or online. Those that opted for the online route had a race on their hands. As they diligently refreshed the page and tried to get payment info input fast enough, most were greeted with that disheartening “size is no longer in stock” message. Can you tell we’re still a little bitter about that one? Oh well, on to the next one.

Packer Shoes x Reebok Kamikaze II "Remember the Alamo"

“Rockin’ Shawn Kemp, Kamikaze” Packer Shoes turned some heads with this release intended to “Remember the Alamo”. That slogan was an honor to one of the best NBA All Star games (at least footwear-wise) of all time. With that, they dropped this exclusive capsule in cahoots with Mitchell and Ness, to show the Reign Man a little love. Because of that exclusivity, and the dope extras that came along with an already hot shoe, this was a tough ticket to get…especially since they were an online exclusive at Packer.

KD VI "Meteorology"

Nike knew the forecast with this one. The second KD colorway based on the man’s childhood infatuation with becoming a TV weatherman, the “Meteorology” iteration followed up it’s predecessor nicely. Though not as limited as the KD IV “Weatherman”, the KD VI “Meteorology” sold out nearly as quick and we know some heads are still hoping to cop at retail anywhere they might be available!

Bait x Reebok Question Mid "Snake"

LA-based BAIT is quickly becoming known for their stupid-awesome collabs. And, after dropping this crazy, snakeskin-wrapped (AND glow in the dark) take, on the ever popular Reebok Question Mid, that case gets much stronger. They did a pop-up store for the release, and a few pairs made it to their online shop…but, with the increased popularity of this silhouette, the ones that did make it up, were not for long. Patience, luck and a super-fast connection were key to add these to the collection.

Nike LeBron X “Celebration Pack”

On top of the $500 starting price, another super limited in-store release paired with that infamous Twitter RSVP system, made the LeBron X Celebration Pack a party only a select few got invited to. As with just about every other super-limited release available online at Nike Store only, these vanished from carts in literally seconds.

Concepts x Asics "Three Lies"

We’ve honored the bold flavors of this CNCPTS release elsewhere on this site, but the release of the “Three Lies” Asics was one that left many folks with a sour taste in their mouths. But the good news is that hopefully some more retailers will have these online in the near future.

Jordan FEAR Pack

In a few years, the Jordan FEAR pack will go down as a post-retirement classic. Non-bulls colorways are always a hot item, but when you drop them on three of the best silos in the entire product line, you have a winner. The only ‘fear’ involved here was the hesitation with which one you attempted to purchase. And to make matters worse, you couldn’t even get the V online! Here’s a tip of the hat for those who were able to cop the III and the IV…

adidas Pro Model "Big Sean"

adidas bolstered their strong comeback this year (in the US at least) by putting an exclamation point on the summer with this release from the Big Sean line. Sneaker companies have had varying levels of success with their rapper-endorsed product lines, but after trying to cop this latest release, we think they have a success on their hands. Because these were super limited and only available online from a couple spots.